Fill 'er up!

Last night at church, the sermon was about the fruit of the spirit. There was something the speaker said that really got my attention.

He started by saying that he was looking to buy a truck. He has looked in the area and the trucks around here are rusty from the wear and tear of our winters. The undercarriage rusts and it spreads to other parts of the vehicle. When the gas tank gets rusty, it gets holes and then leaks fuel.

He said we can be like those vehicles. We get beat up and worn down by everyday life. Eventually we end up with holes in our gas tank and start leaking joy. Left long enough, we become completely without joy. We are sluggish and without energy. The life is sucked out of us.

In order to avoid this, every day we should be praying and asking God to refuel us and patch up our holes. Only He can fill us with joy and life.

I thought this was such a good way to think about this. I know as a mom, we can get worn down from the daily grind. We can feel that we are not accomplishing much from day to day. As a person, we can get beat up by the circumstances in our life. Financial difficulties, illness, unhealthy relationships, the list goes on. God never promised us an easy life but He did promise to go through it with us.

No matter how beaten up we get. No matter how much joy has leaked out of us. God will fill us with His joy and repair the holes and cracks. It may take a while to repair; and while those are being repaired, other cracks and holes are forming. So a daily fill up is necessary in order to keep us filled with joy.

The best part is that this is the one fill up that is free for everyone.

"Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete." John 16:24